Illinois Connection

Allen was raised on the south side of Chicago.

Biographical and Professional Information

Steve Allen was born Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen. He was an American television personality, musician, actor, comedian, and writer. He was also a radio and tv personality and an award winning composer.

Published Works

Bop Fables, Simon & Schuster, 1955

Fourteen for Tonight, Henry Holt & Company, 1955

The Funny Men, Simon & Schuster, 1956

Wry on the Rocks, Henry Holt & Company, 1956

The Girls on the Tenth Floor and Other Stories, Henry Holt & Company, 1958, reprinted 1970

Private investigator, Roger Dale, finds himself sucked into finding the brazen killer who kills talk show guests from under everyone's nose. Dale finds himself more frustrated as the body count piles up, and the FBI gets more persistent in trying to get him to drop the case. Finally, Dale and the FBI decide to work together when he comes up with the idea to use himself as bait for the next primetime victim.

"Draws on the expertise of biblical scholars, theologians, and philosophers to demonstrate that fundamentalist assumptions about the reliability and authenticity of the Bible ... have no rational or factual basis"--Inside dust jacket.

America was ready for a nostalgic treat - or so the United Broadcasting System thought when it revived one of television's most popular game shows after a twenty-year absence from the air waves. Little did the network know that it was setting the stage for murder ... A member of the original celebrity panel of "The Murder Game" show; Steve's vivacious wife, Jayne Meadows, was invited to a reunion with other show business personalities of the original cast to solve.

"Steve Allen does so many things, he's the only man I know who's listed on every one of the Yellow Pages". That's how protege Andy Williams once described Steve Allen; and Noel Coward called him "the most talented man in America". Apt descriptions, indeed; for Allen is not only a comedian, but a prolific writer, composer, pianist, actor, and a serious thinker as well. Those who are familiar with Steve Allen only in his capacity as a comedian may find it surprising that in Reflections he has produced a collection of thought-provoking philosophical observations on a variety of serious topics. But anyone who knows such works as his two-volume study of Scriptures - Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion, and Morality - or his incisive critique of America's declining intellectual standards - "Dumbth": And 81 Ways to Make Americans Smarter - will realize that Allen's serious side is at least as creative and interesting as his flights of comedic fancy. Steve Allen is a largely self-taught intellectual. Perhaps this is the reason that he is able to write in a casual but clear, nonacademic style, which makes even his weightiest ideas accessible to the average reader. And as befits a professional humorist, Allen displays his wit from time to time in these pages. But by and large, his comments on assorted philosophical, political, and social questions are not only serious but challenging. No matter what issue he addresses - aging, happiness, heroes, justice, love, psychology, religion, sex, or TV - the popular humorist and philosopher in one always finds something fresh and insightful to say.

Norman Cousins once wrote that "In any inventory of the natural resources on this planet", Steve Allen's conscience is "high on the list". It is this wonderfully prolific, highly educated conscience which prompted each of the articles included in But Seriously ... Steve Allen Speaks His Mind. Such a dynamic, energetic conscience has encouraged Allen throughout his career as an author and entertainer to examine the innumerable facets of modern American society, identifying the many problems which desperately need to be corrected and developing provocative new solutions to do so. Allen's razor-sharp insights always cut to the core of the issue, whether the topic involves labor relations, the atomic bomb, gifted education, or the lessons to be learned from the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. This collection of speeches, articles, personal correspondence, and other writings constitutes a well-reasoned anthology filled with good humor, irony, and a deep concern for the human condition. Allen's devotion to common sense and serious social involvement carves a path for others to follow.

Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows investigate the spate of murders of comedians which began when slapstick king Terry Parker is discovered stabbed to death while attending the black-tie funeral for Benny Hartman, the 85-year-old, cigar-chomping veteran of vaudeville, radio, stage, and screen.

"Do you know what your kids are watching on TV or hearing on the radio? While channel surfing, they may come across an episode of Sex and the City, in which the leading ladies light-heartedly compare notes on penis size; the cartoon series South Park, with its talking piece of excrement; the brawling of dysfunctional families on the Jerry Springer show; the latest sex-purveying, women-hating, and violence-inciting rap video on MTV; or the rantings of radio shock-jock Howard Stern."